


Vodyanih i Rusalki

by SomberCitizen



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Drowning, violence happens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-16 17:31:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13058763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomberCitizen/pseuds/SomberCitizen
Summary: “You will burn, and you will burn out. You will be healed, and come back again.”





	Vodyanih i Rusalki

**Author's Note:**

> “You will burn, and you will burn out. You will be healed, and come back again.”

People always said that there was calm before a storm. In a sense, maybe they were right. There was a certain sense of serenity when listening to the angry ocean waves clash with the stones by the bay. Far into the horizon the skies were angry too, forecast saying that a hail storm was approaching. It smelled like it, the cold electricity charging up the air and while everyone was tense, Lyudmila was oddly at peace. 

 

Taking down an enemy, that had dared to get a little too close to Kallista, she sent a small apology down the line for getting her suit dirty with grey matter. Maybe that’s what it was. She was in her element, that place where she always felt right at home. A world of ice and blood, where every problem could be solved with a good headshot. Maybe people were right to call her a butcher, but damn if she wasn’t a good one. Every shot found a mark and even if she didn’t want to admit it, seeing those pink cloud blossom felt like some sort of accomplishment. Made her feel untouchable. 

 

Bang. Another one went down, before they could properly aim their pistol at Natalie. Bang, a third one fell into Gabriel’s feet and Lyudmila checked her back before moving to the neighbouring roof with a swift jump. Always moving, never staying in one place for too long. She looked down, between the buildings where she had dropped a single adrenaline needle, a bait for a trap and someone was about to step in right in the middle of her scope. Bang. He hit the ground as well. 

 

In the distance the sky was protesting. Maybe it didn’t like what she was doing. Maybe it did. Maybe it was Tyr, Ares, Svetovid, any other deity that had a wardrum for a heart, cheering her on. Or maybe she was looking to much into it. Storms were just storms. They were neither harbingers nor divine encouragement. Just shitty weather and nothing more. Nevertheless, the promise of hail made her feel at peace. The cold always felt like home, no matter how much she disliked it. Maybe it was because  _ he _ loved it and he had felt like home too..

 

Those were thoughts for another day however. She took down another operative that had unwisely went into the alley. Just like that, the pink cloud painted the wall behind him. Just like they had taught her years ago. No time for hesitation when your comrades’ lives were on the line. It was his own damn fault for falling for a cheap trick anyway. 

 

Turning her aim to the enemies around her team, Lyudmila noticed something interesting. A few had started pulling back, hands to their ears. They were getting commands. Not for retreat, no. They didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving, but something,  _ someone  _ was telling them to step back. She shot down a few, but before she could react, a maelstrom of red and white landed in between them and dodging bullets, headed straight for Gabriel. 

 

Whoever that was, they were fast and Lyudmila’s attempts at taking them down, before they got to the Commander, fell flat. They stopped, standing in front of him and she could see the image of a woman, dressed in white with a flurry of red hair and a vicious smile. She was talking, but Lyudmila couldn’t read anything off her lips, until she tried to shoot at her. With one swift move, the bullet only managed to pass millimeters from her head. Glancing towards the roof, the one word Lyudmila could clearly make out, made her blood run cold. 

 

_ “Sniper.” _

 

She only had a moment to think of where to relocate, before the sound of heels, getting closer alarmed her to a presence behind her and turning around, she narrowly avoided a giant blade poised to slash into her back. 

 

In front of her stood a figure, a woman dressed in black, the thunderous clouds reflecting in the steel of her massive sword. Intricate design, which Lyudmila didn’t have much time to look at before the woman lunged for her again. She narrowly managed to avoid the swing of the blade, it crashing down and leaving a deep scar in the concrete roof. She was taunting her now, dragging the blade, making it scream. Shouldering her rifle, Lyudmila pulled out her side arm, aiming for the woman in black. With a quick move, however, the bullet was blocked by the width of her blade. Two more shots went without getting to their mark and the woman reached out her free hand to wag her index finger  _ “no” _ . 

 

She swung the blade again, the blunt end of it slapping the handgun out of Lyudmila’s grasp before she could even react. She was fast. Too fast for Lyudmila and she knew it.

 

_ “Lockdown, where’s the cover fire?!” _ Gabriel’s voice rang through the commlink.

 

“My spot was compromised, Lobo.” Lyudmila answered, rolling away from another powerful slash.

_ “Hurry up and get rid of them!” _ he yelled, the sound of a metal whip cracking coming out of the device.  _ “We have a situation down here too!” _

 

“Roger.” she said, trying to get some distance between herself and the woman in black. If she could get far enough away and was quick about it, maybe she could get one good shot. Just one shot to find it’s mark was all she needed, but the woman was relentless in her pursuit. The moment she took her rifle in hand, the woman slashed again, the weapon flying back to the edge of the building. 

 

The blade came down again and Lyudmila attempted to block the hit with her left arm. The sharp end was digging into the grooves, between the plates of the prosthetic, the metal protesting under the pressure, before the plating gave out and the blade slid down to cut deep into her shoulder, where metal met flesh and severing the strap of her armored chestplate. 

 

Lyudmila cried out in pain, through gritted teeth, before planting a foot to the middle of the woman in black’s chest, to get her away. The blade slid down, cutting deeper and longer before the point fell to the ground. Trying to take advantage of the small moment she was given, Lyudmila ran for the edge of the building to pick up her rifle, but a clink of metal sounded behind her and her foot was pulled back from under her, making her fall flat to the ground. Turning on her good arm, Lyudmila saw the sword finish it’s transformation into a scythe that not a second too late was swiping at her again.

 

She dodged the first slash, kicking the blade away and crawling backwards towards the fallen rifle. Still hoping for that lucky shot to save her. It was not looking good, not at all. She could hear everyone yelling from down on the ground, dealing with the other enemies, but it was starting to get drowned out by the sound of blood rushing in her ears and the searing pain in her shoulder. Her metal hand was all but useless now. Her handgun had fallen off the building, her rifle lay somewhere behind her and nothing she had done so far had had any sort of effect. She has too slow and the woman in black was too fast. 

 

Dodging hit after hit, some of them connecting with flesh just barely, but enough to leave red lines, Lyudmila crawled back to the edge of the building. She turned around for a moment, taking her rifle in hand. Kneeling, she propped it on her leg, taking aim. By the time she was ready to shoot, however, the woman in black had gotten close enough to slash with her scythe once more. It left a burning line, just below the reach of her chestplate and Lyudmila slumped down with a whimper. 

 

She could hear the woman in black’s heels clicking closer. The storm had gotten closer too. The waves down by the bay were thrashing wildly and a clap of thunder, somewhere near, electrified the air around. Lyudmila raised her head to see the woman switch her weapon into her passive hand and bend over to grasp at her top. Lifting her slightly from her kneeling position, she pulled her close. Lyudmila’s vision was engulfed by the sea of black hair and then she heard her flat, emotionless voice whisper, almost gently, in her ear.

 

“Goodbye.” the woman in black said, before kicking Lyudmila in the middle of her chest and sending her flying down from the roof towards the raging waters below..

 

Maybe people were right to fear storms. To see them as ill omens, harbingers of bad things to come. She could hear another clap of thunder as she fell, the cold salty air infiltrating her senses. Lyudmila tried to scream, but by the time she had caught up to what was happening, she had already hit the water. The force of it, punching all the air out of her lungs, in a single strangled, nigh inaudible cry. And then she was sinking, the weight of her gear dragging her down even faster. 

 

Gabriel had questioned her choice of weapon when she had joined.  _ “You won’t be fighting many omnic anymore, you don’t need that heavy of a rifle.” _ but she had insisted she was used to it. Liked the force that it packed, liked the weight of it in her hands.  _ “Taking a life should never be easy.” _ she had told him. The weight had been grounding, a reminder. And now it was dragging her down deeper. Maybe that was how it was all supposed to end. Maybe she was never really meant to survive, if not swallowed by flame, then she would be swallowed by water. 

 

Sinking deeper, the lights of the surface were becoming dimmer and dimmer and the void below was calling to her in a familiar voice. Welcoming her with open arms and telling her  _ he _ had been waiting for her to join. Maybe that was for the best. It had been such a long time since she had felt so at home..

  
  


They had seen her fall, but heard no scream. They had all heard the stories of how they make their soldiers turn to ice and iron up there in the Russian arctics. They thought she’d turn up any moment, like she always had before, ring the water out of her hair and keep on going. She’d swim out, climb the rocks, punch someone and come help them stop the bleeding from Gabriel’s leg. But after a minute she didn’t. She didn’t after another minute. By the third minute, Natalie and Kallista had gotten the same idea and were running towards the ocean, the latter discarding her gear before jumping off the rocks and jumping into the foamy waters. Under the surface it was all mirky. They could barely see anything, the storm had angered the ocean so much. They came back for air a moment later, the waves making it hard to last for too long.

 

“Did you see anything?” Kallista yelled, wincing as hail came down around her.

 

“Nothing, it’s too dark.” Natalie shook her head before diving under again, trying to go deeper, looking around harder. The waves kept trying to push them back to the shore. It took a few more dives, before Kallista saw something. It was barely there, a slight glint in the dark. Stray light catching in something reflective, but it was something. 

 

She dove in the directing, Natalie following behind her. In between seaweed and plastic trash, was Lyudmila, motionless and sinking deeper. The strap of her rifle had tangled around her arm, pulling her down. They had no choice, but to discard it, let it fall to the ocean floor and middle the water with sand. Her belt went too, and the heavy chestplate with the torn strap. With all the extra weight off, they each grabbed an arm and started swimming up to the surface.

 

“We found her!” Natalie yelled towards the shore, as they gasped for air, swimming forward and pulling Lyudmila with them. They were met on the rocks by Mikael, who took the unconscious woman off their hands pulling her out of the water and giving the two finally a moment to take their breath and follow him after. Kallista took a few moments to put her gear back on, before joining the other two.

 

“She’s not breathing?” she asked, kneeling by Lyudmila’s side and looking down at the lips that had started turning blue.

 

“Yeah-” Natalie nodded while padding the woman’s pockets looking for something. “- and she’s bleeding a lot. Fuck, where does she keep them?!”

 

“Keep what?” Mikael asked, tearing off the lower part of Lyudmila’s shirt and passing one piece of it to Kallista to put pressure on her two wounds. 

 

“The adrenaline things,” she waved her hands around. “,the cocktails!”

 

“In her, fuck,” Kallista sigh with a shake of her head and glanced back at the ocean. “, in her belt.” 

 

“Why did we throw it away then?!”

 

“Nevermind that now!” Mikael interrupted them. “We have to get her breathing again!” he placed his hands over her chest. “Nat, on three yeah?”

 

“Yeah, okay.” she nodded getting in position.

 

“I’ll keep putting pressure on the bleeding.” Kallista said, pressing the rags to the wounds, her lower lip between her teeth. The entire situation felt so strange. Yes, their job was always dangerous, but through all of it, she had ever felt that there was a real chance Lyudmila, wouldn’t make it out of a mission. It wasn’t like she thought the woman was made of indestructible stone, but she had always managed to get herself out of bad situations before. She had only seen her so vulnerable once before.. 

 

“..three!” Mikael’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Natalie had leaned down over her again and after she pulled away, finally after several attempts, Lyudmila moved to cough out the water she had swallowed. 

 

“Oh, thank fuckin,” Natalie started sitting back on her heels and gliding her fingers through her wet hair. “,you scared the shit out of us!”

 

Lyudmila slowly opened her eyes, before wincing at the pain in her shoulder and abdomen. Taking in the three people around her, she mumbled something that was interrupted by another coughing fit.

 

“No no, don’t talk.” Kallista shook her head. “You swallowed a lot of water.”

 

She nodded slighting, before closing her eyes again, too exhausted to try to stay awake for more.

  
  


The next time Lyudmila opened her eyes, she was no longer on that bay. She was in the familiar sterile white rooms of the medical wing, back at HQ. So.. she hadn’t drowned. She glanced at the window to her left. Dark, if she had to guess it had to have been around midnight, the moon not yet visible from her position. How much time had passed since the mission?

 

“Oh, Lieutenant, you’re awake.” A nurse pulled her attention, upon entering the room. Lyudmila simply nodded in response and attempted to get herself in a sitting position, but hissed when sharp pain cut through her shoulder and abdomen. “Don’t move too much. You need to give the wounds some more time to heal.” the nurse said and went about to check on her vitals. A moment later, the door cracked again and Kallista and Natalie walked in.

 

“Hey.” Lyudmila nodded towards them.

 

“Hey?” Natalie threw her hands in the air. “Is that all we get for pulling you out the depths of the ocean? You’re real heavy you know..”

 

“You need to work on your bedside manners.” Lyudmila chuckled lightly.

 

“Yeah, yeah..” Natalie shook her head, before her and Kallista sat down on the chairs by the bed. 

 

“How are you feeling?” Kallista asked.

 

“Like I got runover by a car,” she sighed and slowly got herself to a slightly more seated position. “,with a sword.”

“We thought you were gonna die..” 

 

“Me too..” Lyudmila frowned and looked down at her sheets. “Guess I’m not that easy to kill, huh?”

 

“Don’t do that again!”

 

Lyudmila chuckled at that. The two of them stayed for a while, their conversation turning towards what else had happened during the mission. Gabriel had gotten injured too and despite the rest being able to finish the objective, the two women - the red haired one and the one in black, had managed to slip away from their grasp. Kallista had tasked herself with finding their identities, but so far she hadn’t been able to find anything about them, nor what their business was with Talon forces. By the time the nurse asked the two agents to leave, the moon had gotten into view from the window.

 

Alone once again, Lyudmila slid down under the covers and turned to her uninjured side. There was a certain sense of calm that had overcome her during  the conversation. The mission had been successful, no one else had gotten all that seriously injured.. Yet when she closed her eyes to sleep again, despite being in a warm comfortable bed, all she could see were the depths of the ocean. Dark and cold, but still so inviting. Maybe it was because it was all fresh in her memory. Maybe it was because the deepest, coldest waters called out to her in that sweet and achingly familiar voice that always made her think of home. 


End file.
